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Primary Submission Category: Mental health/function
Leveraging Community-Based Participatory and Qualitative Methods to Identify Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide and Mental Health among Latina Immigrants
Authors: Laura Mata Lopez,
Presenting Author: Laura Mata Lopez*
Latina immigrants in the United States (U.S.) experience significant mental health inequities shaped by migration-related trauma and structural social determinants of health (SDOH). Many endure cumulative adversity across pre-migration, migration, and post-migration phases, including violence, family separation, economic precarity, and barriers to healthcare. Despite suicide being a leading cause of death among Latinas in the U.S., limited research has examined the multilevel factors (including migration-related trauma and structural determinants of health) that shape suicide risk among Latina immigrants. This study uses a community-engaged qualitative design to examine lifetime suicide trajectories among Latina immigrants in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Participants were recruited through community-based organizations, faith communities, and local service providers serving Latina immigrant populations. Data were collected between November 2024 and March 2025 through life history interviews with Latina immigrants (n=20) and focus groups with providers, community leaders, and religious leaders serving Latina immigrants (n=16). Interviews and focus groups were conducted in Spanish. Data are being analyzed using typology analysis to identify patterns of lifetime suicide trajectories and to explore how migration experiences, SDOH, and community resources shape suicide risk and resilience. Preliminary analyses suggest cumulative and intersecting stressors across migration phases, including exposure to violence, economic hardship, and barriers to healthcare and social services. Early findings also highlight protective factors rooted in family networks, faith communities, and collective community support. This study advances population health science by identifying how structural conditions and community resources shape suicide risk trajectories among Latina immigrants and by informing culturally responsive prevention strategies that advance health equity.